


Appenza

by Zinoviev



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pilot Leia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27920992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinoviev/pseuds/Zinoviev
Summary: As a girl, Leia always dreamed of the stars. She had two passions: to become a pilot and to make the galaxy a better place. On her sixteenth birthday, she ran away from home to do what she thought was right. Two years later, she is a stellar recruit at an Imperial flight academy when an unwanted foe takes interest in her: Darth Vader.
Relationships: Leia Organa & Darth Vader, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker
Comments: 62
Kudos: 137





	1. The Lone Fighter

Darth Vader stood by the exit hatch with a scowl. He heard the hiss of propulsion jets, slowing the shuttle to a gentle stop on the hangar bay floor. The hatch door swung upward and a ramp unfurled. Vader inclined his chin as he watched and waited, gauntleted fists clenched behind his back. An assignment as trivial as this was beneath him, but the Emperor had insisted he attend to it personally. He did not dare object, but internally Vader was seething. Why was his master wasting his time with this? Surely ISB was more than capable.

"Ah, Lord Vader. Welcome to Palaam."

The officer's voice was high. He was no doubt terrified, and doubly confused that Darth Vader himself had come to inspect his second-rate academy on this backwater world in the Outer Rim.

"Your name," Vader requested, standing still at the top of the ramp.

The officer gulped. "Helmut Roth, sir. Colonel and former commander of the 201st Fighter Wing."

Vader looked the man over. He was fresh-shaven as all Imperial officers were, and considerably younger than his rank suggested. His forehead shined with flop sweat and his fingers fidgeted with the cuff of his sleeve.

"Former commander, you say?" Vader said. He flourished his cape and began descending the ramp. Vexed as he was by this assignment, he did find some satisfaction in making officers squirm. Catharsis, more like. "Why did you leave that position?"

Roth craned his head to Vader who now loomed above him, a long shadow cast over the trembling officer. "I resigned, sir. My wife became ill and I wanted a stable position."

Vader was silent. He stared at Roth without so much as blinking, not that the man would be able to tell if he did. His mask was unreadable, unfailingly terrifying. Men cowered before the specter that was Darth Vader, harbinger of death and ruthless enforcer of the Emperor's will.

"My condolences, Colonel."

Roth blinked in bewilderment, but Vader didn't spare him any mind, pushing past the officer and marching away from the shuttle.

"Uh… my lord!" Roth came running after him. "We, ah… we are honored by your visit."

"I am sure," Vader said dryly.

"We have arranged a demonstration for your benefit."

Vader shot the man a look. "A demonstration?"

"Yes, my lord. A practice exercise. The students are eager to –"

"I have no time for theatrics."

"Forgive me, Lord Vader, but I think you might want to watch this."

That earned his attention. He came to a stop by the blast doors and turned to Roth. "What do you mean, Colonel?"

Suddenly coy, Roth extended a gloved hand. "If you would follow me."

Vader did not enjoy being trifled with. His fingers twitched, but he suppressed the urge to grab the man's throat. Something about Roth's tone piqued his curiosity. What was it he wanted Vader to see? Could it be that Palaam was not as insignificant as he originally presumed?

"Very well. Lead the way."

Roth clicked his heels and saluted. He turned to direct Vader through the labyrinthine hallways of the academy. Vader followed a pace behind, all complaints about this assignment falling by the wayside. He was alert, eyes darting back and forth, breathing apparatus amping up slightly. By all visual measures, there was nothing special about the academy on Palaam. The halls were sterile and black. It looked entirely like countless other Imperial institutions dotted throughout the Empire. But something unique lingered somewhere within this base. It was indescribable, enigmatic, yet Vader had caught the scent, and now there was nothing he wouldn't do to figure out what it was. Perhaps the Emperor had sensed this before him. That must be why he had assigned him this seemingly mundane mission.

"We do not receive the same sort of funds as Skystrike Academy," Roth said. "Not even close, really. But I assure you, the pilots graduating from Palaam are just as qualified."

Vader remained silent. Was it possible Roth did not know the real reason for Vader's visit? Then again, neither had Vader. Not until now, that is. He had thought he was here to root out an alleged Rebel insurrection amongst the students, but clearly there was more to it than that. What specifically, Vader still did not know. He had less than an inkling. Just a feeling, a tingle more like, but whatever it was, Vader could tell it was significant.

The colonel continued: "Our pupils typically hail from less affluent families. Most of them are from Outer Rim worlds. As such, they do not enjoy the same sort of patronage as graduates from Skystrike or other prestigious branches of the Imperial Academy. Perhaps your visit might change that, Lord Vader."

He sounded confident. Whatever Roth had in store, he must be sure it would impress Vader. "Perhaps, indeed," Vader chose to say.

They arrived in a spacious room with a broad, curving viewport on the west wall. Vader scanned the room, taking note of the many command stations. It looked like a facsimile of the bridge on an Imperial Star Destroyer. Each station was being manned by uniformed students, all of whom turned to salute when Vader entered the room.

"At ease," Vader rumbled. He turned to Roth at his flank. "Most impressive," he appraised. "Your preparation is duly noted."

Roth bowed his head. "Thank you, my lord." He turned to the bridge. "Let the exercise begin!" he called.

Bright lights flashed as the stations all came on line. Roth marched down the bridge and barked out a few orders to the students. Vader followed at a leisurely pace, taking care to read each and every student. He sensed nothing but fear. That was typical.

Vader reached the head of the bridge. He folded his arms and gazed out at the presently empty space in front of them. "I thought this was a flight school, Colonel," he said. "Why are these students performing officer-level tasks?"

"As I was saying earlier, Lord Vader, we do not enjoy the same level of recognition as other academies. My students are all trained as pilots, yes, but I insist that they specialize in another field in case they are not accepted into the Fighter Corps."

"You prepare your students for failure?"

"Not at all, my lord. I merely wish to give them the greatest possibility to succeed."

Vader frowned beneath his mask. Roth seemed like a well-intentioned man. Perhaps it was for the best that he had relegated himself to Palaam. Vader had no doubt he would be eaten alive in the Core Worlds; for he possessed the most abhorrent quality of all: compassion.

"Sir! Incoming enemy fighter!"

Vader squinted out the viewport. Amidst the twinkling backdrop of stars was a single fighter. It looked to be a TIE, but clearly some modifications had been made. The wings, typically two square panels, were instead triangular, much like an Interceptor, but the edges were sloping and painted a fiery red. Who was responsible for this design? In some ways, it looked like Vader's own personal fighter.

"Deploy Alpha and Beta Squadrons," Roth ordered.

Vader scoffed. "But there is only one fighter. Do you typically empty your hangars to deal with insignificant threats?"

Roth smiled. "Insignificant? I think not."

Vader watched skeptically as two dozen fighters streamed out into space from underneath their viewport. They separated into two separate attack formations, dual arrows poised to strike at the lone enemy.

"This is madness," Vader mumbled.

He felt the sensation again; a ripple in the Force, a surge of something unknown. Vader was caught off guard by its strength. He gasped, although the whine of his respirator was enough to hide that reaction. And just as he felt it, the attacking fighter veered portside to face Alpha Squadron head on.

"Well that's new," Roth said, sounding rather blasé.

Vader shot him a look, but before he could ask, the viewport lit up with emerald flashes as the TIEs opened fire. Returning his attention to the battle, he saw the lone fighter swerve and spin, somehow managing to avoid each and every bolt.

"Impressive," Vader said.

He spoke too soon. Impressive did not describe this pilot's abilities. Otherworldly seemed more apt. With impeccable deftness, they maneuvered their modified fighter through the thicket of enemy TIEs. Without firing a single salvo, the pilot managed to take out their enemies by way of friendly fire, elicited by twisting and turning out of the way of incoming lasers amidst the throng of hostile fighters. Alpha Squadron cannibalized itself, much to the chagrin of their instructor.

"Trigger happy," Roth muttered.

"On the contrary, Colonel," Vader said, "they seem quite disciplined."

"You think?" Roth asked.

"Very much so. Unfortunately, their foe is vastly superior."

Pride bloomed on Roth's rosy face. "Yes, I believe you're right."

With Alpha Squadron eviscerated, the supporting Beta Squadron entered the fray. Vader watched closely as the single-fighter wrecking ball shifted to face the new threat. The pilot seemed to do away with their evasive technique and began blasting with their laser cannons. They went into a tight spiral and zipped headlong at Beta Squadron. Vader couldn't help but smirk.

"Cocky."

He could feel the pilot's confidence. Their presence in the Force was strong. Extremely strong. Closing his eyes, Vader could see their next move.

"Mistake," he said.

He opened his eyes just in time to see his prescience confirmed. Blinded by success, the pilot ruthlessly pursued an offshoot of fighters heading back to the hangars. They were baiting their foe, drawing the prodigious pilot closer to the Star Destroyer.

"Enemy in range, sir!"

"Open fire with ion cannons," Roth commanded.

"Belay that," Vader said.

"My lord?"

"Fire all available batteries." Roth's eyes widened at this command. "Do you question me, Colonel?" Vader asked.

"But my lord…"

"Yes?"

Roth shook his head. "Nothing, sir."

Vader understood the colonel's objection. Firing indiscriminately at the dogfight would likely result in friendly fire. But that was the cost of war. In a real battle, the threat must be eliminated at all costs. This was the sacrifice a commander must make.

"Firing at will!"

Turbolasers and ion cannons alike ripped from the simulated Star Destroyer, a relentless barrage of green and blue which irradiated the dark canvas of space. Realizing their mistake, the lone fighter tried to pull back, but by then it was too late. The remnants of Alpha and Beta Squadron closed in, sustaining losses as they did under the hellfire of Star Destroyer armaments. But it didn't matter. With their enemy trapped, the pilots had no trouble picking off their foe. The battle was won.

"Exercise over," Roth said over the com. "All pilots back to base."

The deactivated fighters, in the time being drifting aimlessly in space, burst back to life and returned to the hangars. Vader kept his eye on the modified fighter as it joined formation.

"Tell me about that pilot," he demanded of Roth.

"Would you like her file?"

"Female?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Unusual."

It was not unheard of to find women in the Fighter Corps, but it, along with most other branches of the Imperial Navy, was predominantly composed of men.

Vader held out his hand and Roth handed him a datapad.

The file before him was sparse; hardly any information was provided: no place of birth, no listed relatives, nothing to indicate she had a life beyond this academy. The pilot's name, APPENZA, L., was printed in capital letters above the mugshot of a girl with a shaved head. She was unsmiling and dour, a not-so-subtle look of contempt in her eyes.

"I would very much like to meet her," Vader said.

"I thought you might," Roth said. "Right this way, my lord."

They walked down the bridge and left the room through the blast doors whence they'd come. Roth led the way to a turbolift which took them down to the hangars. They arrived to find a jubilant scene. The pilots had all disembarked from their fighters and were swarming their triumphant peer.

"She is quite the star," Vader said, content for the time being to observe from afar.

"I've never encountered a pilot with her natural skill," Roth said, his voice rich with pride. "She can be reckless, as you saw, but I attribute that to age. I have no doubt she will become one of the finest recruits in the Fighter Corps. Should you choose to serve as her patron, I promise you she will not let you down."

"Perhaps," Vader said.

He could tell Roth was disappointed. But Vader knew this young woman was not destined for the cockpit. Her fate, as with all children of the Force, belonged with the Emperor. But perhaps he should be cautious. This girl was powerful. Were the Emperor to learn about her, would he not consider grooming her as his new apprentice? But then again, it was entirely possible that Palpatine already did know about her, and this little mission was but a test to see how Vader would react. That sounded like something his master would do.

"This adulation is unwarranted," Vader said. "The girl did not win the battle."

"But her performance was admirable, was it not?" Roth asked.

"Irrelevant." Vader raised a finger to the colonel. "I care about results, Colonel. As should you."

Roth nodded. "Of course. You are right, my lord."

"Dismiss them," Vader ordered. "I wish to speak with the girl."

"Yes, my lord."

Roth made his way to an elevated podium along the back wall of the hangar. He keyed a button on the control pad and spoke into a microphone.

"Attention!"

In a flash, the students stopped celebrating and spun on their heels to salute. They first looked at Roth and then, seeing Vader's terrifying figure, collectively blanched with fear. Vader watched for the girl's reaction. The luster was gone from her face. She was frozen, eyes wide, mouth ajar. How disappointing. He would have thought she of all people would have some mettle.

"At ease," Roth said, stepping away from the podium. "The exercise is now over. You may report to the mess."

The crowd dispersed, but the girl stayed where she was. She clearly knew why Vader was here.

"Cadet Appenza, come here if you would," Roth said, gesturing to the girl. He parked himself by Vader's side and beamed at his star pupil. "Lord Vader was impressed by your performance."

"I can speak for myself, Colonel," Vader growled.

"Forgive me, my lord."

"You may leave us."

"My lord?"

Vader cast him a dismissive look. "You heard me, Colonel. Leave us."

Roth didn't dare disobey. "Yes, my lord." He spared the girl a glance before scampering away. Vader waited for his footsteps to die down before speaking.

"The Force is with you."

The girl frowned. "What?"

"You do not know?"

"Know what?"

Vader smiled tightly. "I am not surprised. Even so, your power is impressive."

The girl said nothing and Vader took the opportunity to look her over more thoroughly. Her hair had grown in a bit since her mugshot had been taken. It was jet black, dyed perhaps, and fastened into a tight bun. She was quite short, especially compared to Vader who towered over her. Her skin was pale, practically pallid. It was not an uncommon complexion among space faring people, but that considered, Vader still found her appearance startling. She was deathly thin, a fact that wasn't belied in the slightest by her bulky flight suit. Her cheekbones jutted out at sharp angles and her eyes were circled by dark rings.

"Are you treated well at the academy?" Vader asked.

The girl hesitated. "Why do you ask, sir?"

"You do not look well."

He spoke bluntly, as Darth Vader always did, but nevertheless he was surprised to hear himself say such a thing. Why should he care how she was treated? Roth clearly extracted results from her. That was what mattered. The Empire valued results above all else.

"I am happy here, sir."

Happy? He hadn't asked if she was happy. He didn't care about such things. But even so, Vader could sense it was true. The glowering girl he had seen on the datapad was no more. Anemic or not, the young woman before him was invigorated, whether it be because of her exploits in the cockpit or the adulation of her peers. In all likelihood a bit of both.

"Colonel Roth wishes for me to become your patron. What do you think of that?"

Again, the girl hesitated. Unable to meet Vader's gaze, her eyes darted beyond him at nothing in particular. She licked her lips and tapped her foot.

"I, uh… I would be honored, sir."

"You do not sound like you are honored."

"I am." The girl straightened her back, yet still could not meet his gaze. She instead stared at his breastplate. "I am honored, sir."

Vader considered her. She was nervous, yes, but he detected something more substantial than fear. Or rather, fear of him. She was anxious for some other reason, and Vader himself was not necessarily responsible.

"Appenza," he said, and with a flourish of his cape, began to circle the girl. "A Core World name."

That seemed to elicit a strong reaction which the girl struggled to tamp down. "Is it, sir?" she asked.

"My lord," Vader corrected.

"Pardon?"

"You will refer to me as such."

Having completed his rotation, Vader came to a stop in front of her. He could now see that the girl was sweating, her ghostly face shining like the bright moons of Coruscant.

"Say it," Vader demanded.

"Yes, my lord."

"Good."

Vader began a second lap.

"You are a mystery, Cadet Appenza. Your file reveals little. Tell me, where is your home world?"

"I don't know, my lord," the girl said all too quickly.

"You don't?"

"I was abducted by pirates when I was very young."

It was a lie, Vader could sense it. But she lied with confidence. Anyone else would have been deceived.

"How did you come to join the Imperial Academy?"

"By luck, my lord. I was working on a spice freighter, and during a layover on Corellia I saw an advertisement for the Fighter Corps. I decided to apply and was fortunate enough to be accepted."

Another lie, this one less convincing than the last. Did she really expect him to believe she was accepted into the academy without any credentials or schooling? It was obvious that she came from the Core, and that she was upper class. Her accent and diction betrayed that beyond a shadow of a doubt. She certainly hadn't been a grunt working on a spice freighter. So why was she lying?

Vader knew he could get the answers out of her, but he found that he didn't want to hurt her. She looked so fragile, he was afraid she might break. But then again, that's what he did. Darth Vader broke people, he maimed and ruined them. That was his job and duty.

"Tell me, Cadet," Vader said, pausing when he completed his second rotation, "what is your first name?"

For once, the girl met his gaze.

"Leia," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter! I'd like to give credit to Adam Hughes for his amazing drawing of Pilot Leia which in part inspired this story. I'd also like to give a shoutout to Mahina, whose wonderful story _Free to Fly_ also served as inspiration. Next chapter will be from Leia's perspective and it will give you the necessary background to understand how she got here.


	2. Tongue Tied

Leia's heart hammered in her ears. Maybe that's why they called them eardrums. Surely Vader could hear it, couldn't he? It was so loud.

How long had he been staring at her? A full minute? It felt like a full hour. He'd asked for her name. She had considered lying, but there wasn't much point. It was all there in the file. Why hadn't she just changed her first name too? It was so stupid in retrospect.

He knew. He had to know. He was putting the pieces together right now. What would he do? Arrest her? He had no reason to do so. It wasn't as if she had committed any crime, or at least none which he knew about. Would he inform her parents? Why would he do that? Vader had no obligation to the Organas.

"My lord –" she began, but Vader cut her off.

"Leia."

She blinked twice. "Uh… yes. That's what I said." Another awkward silence. "Leia _Appenza_ ," she added, emphasizing her alias. "That's my full name."

"Yes," Vader said, his voice distant. "I see."

Leia released a shaky breath. Maybe he didn't know? Wouldn't he have said something by now if he did?

"Um… may I go?" she asked.

Vader shook his head. "Your arm," he requested.

"What?"

"Your arm." He produced a small instrument, seemingly out of thin air. Leia eyed it warily. "I require a sample of your blood."

Her heart skipped a beat. "No!" she blurted out. "I mean…" She took another breath. "Why?"

"Because I say so," Vader rumbled.

Leia gulped. "But…"

"Yes?"

There was no way out of this. Dropping her helmet to the ground, Leia rolled up her sleeve and extended her arm.

"Good," Vader said. Leia stiffened when he grabbed her elbow. "To answer your question, I am testing your blood for midichlorians."

"Midi-what?"

"Midichlorians," Vader repeated without elaboration.

"What are –" Her question was interrupted by a sharp prick to her arm. "Ow!"

"I suspect you are highly attuned to the Force," Vader said as he retracted the device and pressed a thumb to the spot on her arm. Leia winced. His grip was strong. "This information will tell me just how much."

Leia had no idea what to make of this. Why was Vader talking so much about the Force? Wasn't that a Jedi thing? Her father had told her a bit about them. They would use the Force to move objects with their mind or something like that. It all seemed a bit fantastical, but her father swore it was real. But Leia couldn't do anything like that. So why was Vader acting like she could?

Vader released her arm and Leia rolled her sleeve down. "May I go now?" she asked.

"You may," Vader said. "But we will be speaking again soon."

"We will? Why?"

Vader did not answer her. "Get something to eat," he instructed. "It looks like you need it."

With that oddly considerate remark, Vader turned on his heel and marched away. Leia stood there rooted to the spot, watching his inky black cloak ripple behind him. All things considered, that hadn't gone too badly. That said, she was in a tricky spot. What would happen when Vader learned who she was from that blood sample?

She wouldn't be around to find out. The time to defect had come.

It was earlier than she'd wanted, but Vader's arrival forced her hand. So upon leaving the hangar bay, Leia sped down the hallway in the direction of the barracks rather than the mess. She wasn't hungry, anyway. The queasy sensation roiling in her stomach was more than enough to suppress her appetite. That had been happening a lot lately, hadn't it? Leia was a proud person, but even she could admit the stress had been mounting to an overwhelming level lately. Who knew leading a secret Rebel ring in an Imperial academy could be so difficult?

That was a joke, albeit not a particularly funny one. Leia knew what she was getting into when she ran away from Alderaan two years ago. It had been the boldest and best thing she had ever done. Being raised a princess, Leia had been groomed for politics and administration. Yet she felt no calling to these realms. She never had. It was all dreadfully dull. For as long as she could remember, Leia had always preferred to crane her head to the sky rather than tuck her nose into a holobook. What could she say? The stars had always been her calling.

Her parents – adopted parents, that is – had been exceptionally patient, but in the months leading up to her sixteenth birthday they'd started putting more pressure on her. She understood the predicament she had put them in. Because while Alderaan was a monarchy, the heir to the throne was not yet confirmed until she or he proved themselves worthy after their sixteenth birthday. Yet Leia had never shown any inclination toward achieving this end, because in fact she had no such inclination. She dreaded the responsibilities which would be foisted upon her when she ascended to the throne. It terrified her to no end to be confined to a palace, to be forbidden from leaving her home world when all she wanted was to roam freely amongst the stars.

So when her mother had come to her that night a month before her birthday and asked her, nay begged her to cooperate, to compromise, to concede, Leia had decided then and there to run away. It wasn't that she disliked her parents – far from it! Leia loved the Organas. They had adopted her as their own and showed her nothing but kindness all her life. Yet Leia knew her fate didn't belong with them. She was never meant to be a princess, nor was Alderaan ever meant to be her home. It was an intrinsic truth which defied explanation. How did she know that she belonged in the cockpit rather than on a throne? Leia could only shrug. Call it a feeling.

She arrived in the barracks, and with a swipe of her keycard, Leia was walking down the long hallway toward her dormitory. Of a class of nearly a hundred pilots, there were only three other girls, so naturally they all shared a room. Leia was the first to arrive, the rest still at the mess, she imagined.

Leia didn't particularly like two of her roommates. Alva was a big, mean girl who looked like she belonged in the Stormtrooper Corps rather than the Fighter Corps. Then there was Ione who was tall and wiry, a natural pilot, yet notoriously lazy and undisciplined in the cockpit. Leia had tried to be friendly – that was her natural disposition, after all – but nothing she did seemed to sway them. They were both jealous of her, she supposed. They didn't like all the attention she got, whether it be from the other boys or from the instructors, Colonel Roth especially. Leia could understand that latter frustration, at least in part. Roth was effusive in his praise for her. It was a bit overwhelming, actually, but Leia couldn't pretend as if she didn't appreciate it. He confirmed to her that she had made the right choice, that her abilities as a pilot were not just adequate, but exceptional.

But luckily Leia wasn't alone in this dorm. She did have one friend. And when the door opened behind her, Leia spun around to see her standing there.

"Val," she said, a smile on her lips. It was such a relief to see her rather than one of the other girls.

"Hey Leia."

Val was a little taller than herself, although that didn't make her tall by any measure. Ione towered over her, in fact. But to Leia, everyone seemed tall, and with Val, she always seemed bigger than life, somehow. She was a slender creature with puffy black hair and smooth, ebony skin. Her eyes, hazel brown and shaped like almonds, were impossibly captivating, magnetic almost. When she looked at her, Leia had no choice but to stare back. And that's what Leia did now.

She was very pretty.

"Tell me what happened with Vader."

Leia blinked twice. Vader… what happened… oh! Right.

"It's not good," she said, voice trembling. "I've got to go. Now."

"Woah, woah. Calm down," Val said. She set her flight helmet down on the top bunk. Stepping forward, she grabbed Leia's forearms and steadied her. "Does he know about the pact?"

Leia shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Then what's so bad that happened?"

Leia told her what she could. But Val couldn't understand why she had to run. She had no idea who Leia really was. Leia had never told her, no matter how much she wanted to. It was too dangerous.

"I know you're scared, but running won't help," Val said, but Leia was shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Val. This isn't a debate. I'm doing it."

"But why?"

Leia pulled herself free from Val's grip and paced away. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

"Do I… ? Of course I do."

"So will you help me?"

She turned around. Val had folded her arms and pursed her lips with concern. "What about the pact?"

"You'll take over for me."

Val frowned. "What? No, Leia. I'm going with you."

"Val, no –"

"This isn't a debate," she said, smirking.

Leia sighed. "Then what about the rest of the pact? It'll fall apart without us, you know that."

"Then dissolve it. Mass defection, now's the time."

"Now? But –"

Val grabbed her by the shoulders and Leia turned very still. "You're our leader, Leia. Without you, there is no pact."

She was right, although Leia would never say so. The pact had been her creation. It was her way of fighting against the Empire. The process had been slow going. Over the course of eighteen months, Leia had methodically surveyed her peers, reading their files and observing them from afar. If they ticked all the boxes, she would make her approach.

Val had been her first recruit. It hadn't been hard for her to glean she didn't like the Empire. She came from a dirt poor Outer Rim world where the Empire collectivized everything and forced the population into work camps. With Val as her ally, Leia had been able to make much quicker progress. The pact now consisted of nine devoted members, all of whom had signed a pledge of secrecy. But Leia was paranoid. All it took was one person to crack, and this whole operation went down in flames. And with Vader here, everyone was going to feel the strain.

"If we're going to do this… we have to do it right," Leia said. "And we have to do it fast. I reckon we have no more than four hours until Vader gets the results back."

"Four hours?" Val sucked in her lips as she considered. "It's doable. Difficult, but doable."

"Assemble the boys," Leia instructed. "If anyone gives you trouble, don't try to convince them. There's no time. Just cut them loose."

"Do you think any of them would do that?"

"I don't know," Leia said. "I hope not, but some of them…" She shook her head. "Ask Biggs first. He'll have a better idea than either of us. If he thinks there's a weak link, we cut them out without telling them what's happening. It's too risky otherwise."

"Sure," Val said. "I trust Biggs's judgement."

"So do I."

Besides Val, Biggs was her closest friend on this lonely base. He was a good man, hopelessly naïve, but also hopelessly well-intentioned. He was also a natural-born leader. With Leia so often overwhelmed, Biggs was always there to hold things together. He held both unknown charisma and powerful persuasion. Perhaps it came from the mustache.

"Can you handle that without me?" Leia asked. "I think I need to… I don't know. I just need to sit down for a second."

"Of course," Val said. She placed a hand on her shoulder, and Leia stiffened again. "Get some rest. You deserve it after today."

"I, uh… yeah." Why couldn't she speak? Her tongue was twisted into knots.

Val smiled. "This is going to work," she said. "I promise." Picking up her flight helmet, Val turned to leave. The door opened, and Leia felt a spark of panic.

"Val!"

Her friend glanced back at her. "Yeah?"

Thank you, she wanted to say. Thank you for everything. But there was more than that. She wanted to say more. She wanted to say… she needed to say…

"Nothing."

Val winked at her. "It'll be fine, I promise."

And just like that, she was gone.

Leia sat down on her bunk, deflated. She felt an emptiness in her stomach, and it wasn't just because she hadn't eaten.

She held her head in her hands and tried not to cry.

But like so many times before, she failed.

Δ Δ Δ

He sat in the cockpit of his personal shuttle. His eyes were closed, metal hands rested against his metal knees. Posture rigid, discipline of steel – Darth Vader was impervious, indestructible. Or so he led others to assume.

Beneath the mask, beneath the armor, beneath the scarred sinews, he was afraid. This was nothing new; he lived in fear, cowering, hiding, fleeing. Of his past? Of his future? One and the same. But this girl… something about her had shaken him. And it was beyond her power, which of course was immense, but rather something intrinsic about her very self. It was ineffable. He had sensed it the moment he arrived on Palaam, and now the sensation, familiar yet foreign, invigorating yet terrifying, had wormed its way into his brain, twisting and coiling like a Kouhun.

There was a sound to his left. Vader was slow to open his eyes. Turning, he saw the datapad had finished its analysis of the girl's blood. He stood from his chair – agonizingly – and approached the datapad. He removed the vial of blood from the connecting port and set it aside on the control panel. He waited for the datapad to load its report, metal fingers drumming against his armored thigh, impatient, agitated.

Finally, the report came up. Vader stared at the number for a long while. Her midichlorian count was literally off the charts, a red bar spiking beyond the axis and off the screen. It was immense, but hardly surprising. Vader had already known.

He had known, but he still couldn't explain it. There was only one other who exceeded her natural powers, and that was Vader himself. Where had this girl come from? And how had she gone undetected until now? Her powers were latent, although she likely tapped into them unwittingly when she was in the cockpit. That made her harder to detect. But even so, Vader had a nagging suspicion the Emperor already knew about her and was waiting to see what his apprentice would do now that he had learned of her as well.

What should he do? The correct choice, nay the only choice was to bring her to his master. Vader could not keep secrets from the Emperor. He never had and he never would, for he had no reason to do so. To what end? Vader did not seek to defeat his master, to take his place in custom with the tradition of the Sith. He did not seek power. He had power. He had all the power he could ever want. And even at that, he did not want it at all. He had no wants, no expectations, no aspirations. He served the Emperor. That was his role in the galaxy.

He would bring the girl to his master. And if he decided to train her, so be it. Vader was not afraid of this girl. She was strong, but he was stronger. If the Emperor believed he could replace him with her, he was sorely mistaken. The girl was nothing compared to him. He would crush her like a –

What was this? This name… this didn't belong here. There must be a mistake in the software…

_Naberrie, Padmé_

Vader's breathing apparatus hitched. He couldn't get any air. His heart was pounding, he felt dizzy. Images, memories, nightmares; they all flashed before his eyes. Long suppressed, never forgotten…

_Probability of maternity – 99.997%_

That… no, that couldn't be. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be…

"Lord Vader?"

There was another name. A redacted one. Probability of paternity…

Ninety-nine percent.

"My lord?"

Skywalker's child…

Alive.

"My lord, can you hear –"

Vader thrust out a fist. The nuisance was silenced, save for the sound of his choking. He stared at the datapad. It must be a mistake. It must be a trick! A joke! A sick prank!

But it wasn't.

He knew. The moment he arrived on Palaam, he knew. He just hadn't been willing, nor able, to believe. But now with the proof right before him…

He still didn't believe it.

Realizing the man he was strangling wouldn't be able to last much longer, Vader released him. He turned to see Colonel Roth retching on the ground, his blue face slowly regaining color.

"Stand up," Vader demanded.

Roth looked up at him with wide, red eyes. "I… can't…" he rasped. "I can't…"

Vader lifted him into the air with the Force. Roth stood rigidly at attention, not to his own merit, of course.

"The girl," Vader said. "Take me to her. Now."


	3. Failure and Consequence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: The following chapter contains instances of graphic violence. Read at your own discretion.**

Leia woke from a dreamless sleep. She rolled over and squinted. It was bright. Where was she? How had she gotten here?

Oh, that's right. She was in her dorm. Val had left to assemble the pact. Leia had stayed behind to get some rest. That's funny. She didn't even remember lying down. She must have been more exhausted than she realized.

She heard an agitated knocking at the door. Had that been what woke her up in the first place? Who could it be? Maybe Val was back? Why would she be knocking, though? Her code cylinder should let her in.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Leia schlepped to the door. She pressed the control panel, and when the door opened, she found herself face to face with not Val, but –

"Vader!"

Leia winced. Vader would not take kindly to such impudence. Yet the hulking man said nothing; he peered at her, blood-red lenses revealing nothing. Yet Leia sensed a sort of tension in the air, distinct from her own. Something about Vader – his posture, maybe? – revealed discomfort, anxiety even. What could _he_ be anxious about?

"Leia," he said.

That was odd. She should be Cadet Appenza to him. And yet here he was at her dorm, calling her by her first name. Leia hugged herself, instinctively shrinking, retreating, from this menace.

"Yes, my lord?" she forced herself to say, voice little more than a squeak. For the first time she noticed someone standing behind Vader in the hallway. It was Colonel Roth. His face was sweaty and ashen. He massaged his neck with a gloved hand.

"You are coming with me," Vader said, matter-of-fact.

Leia's heart jumped in her throat. "What? No, I –"

Colonel Roth looked away at something down the hallway. "Wait right there, Cadet," he said.

"What's happening?" a voice asked. It was Val. Leia wanted to call to her, to run to her. She couldn't, of course. Even with Vader serving as a barricade in front of her door, Leia felt rooted to the spot, seized by a paralytic fear. What did Vader want from her? Nothing good could come from this, she knew that.

"Leia," Vader said again. "Now."

"Hold on –" Val began, but Vader spun on her. He raised a menacing finger. Val was quelled.

"Leave us, Cadet," he growled.

"But that's my dorm," Val said.

What was she doing? Didn't she know standing up to Darth Vader was a suicidal endeavor? Maybe she didn't. She came from the Outer Rim, not the Core. Maybe she hadn't heard the stories.

"I don't have time for this," Vader said. Before Leia could flinch, he grabbed her by the arm. Leia gasped with shock, but she couldn't muster an objection; her throat was clamped shut, tongue frozen. Vader dragged her into the hallway. Leia was like a limp doll in his grasp.

Val stood in Vader's way, hands on her hips. "Where are you taking her?" she demanded.

"Out of my way," Vader ordered.

"No."

For a second, Vader seemed stunned into silence. He had likely never encountered such blatant disobedience, certainly not from someone as lowly as a cadet. But Vader quickly regained his bearing.

"So be it," he said.

With his free arm, Vader raised a gloved hand. Val was pulled into the air by an invisible rope. Her hands clawed around her throat, unable to breathe; her legs flailed in a fruitless attempt to free herself; her face drained of color and her eyes rolled back into her skull. Leia was terrified. Yet in some obscene way, she was also fascinated, enthralled even. So _this_ was the Force. Her father had not been exaggerating. This was a truly awesome power. And Vader implied she could wield it.

What was she doing? She shouldn't be thinking about this. Val was going to die! She had to do something!

"Stop! Stop please!" she cried, tugging on Vader's arm her free one. "You're hurting her!" Vader didn't seem to notice. He pinched his fingers closer together and Val let out a strangled sound. Leia continued to pull and tug on Vader to no avail. And so she did the only thing she could: she screamed.

She hadn't expected it to work, but just like that Val was freed from the noose and tumbled to the floor. Vader staggered backward and Leia yanked herself free from his grasp. In complete control just a moment ago, Vader now seemed dazed and disoriented. He held his hands out to keep balance. Leia spared him no mind. She rushed to her friend's side.

"Val! Val, are you alright?"

Val gasped for air, back heaving. She tried to speak, but no words came.

"What did you do?" Leia asked, spinning on Vader. He still looked quite shaken.

Colonel Roth was at the cyborg's side. "Are you alright, my lord?"

Vader pushed him away. "You," Vader said, pointing at Leia. "Do not do that again."

"Do what?" Leia asked.

Vader took a step toward her, and Leia instinctively extended her arm in a futile attempt to shield Val from his wrath.

"You are more powerful than you know," Vader said. "But you are unbalanced. You need proper training."

"Training? What sort of training?"

Vader did not answer. Once again, he grabbed her by the arm. Leia squirmed, but his grip was like steel.

"We are going," he said before dragging her away.

Leia stumbled down the hall. She looked back at Val and saw Colonel Roth kneeling down to assist her. Vader took a turn, and they were gone.

"Let me go!" Leia demanded. Vader, of course, ignored her. Deeming it futile, Leia gave up struggling and instead asked: "Where are you taking me?"

"To my shuttle," Vader replied.

"Why?"

"In due time."

They arrived in the hangar. Just a few hours ago, Leia had been celebrating with her peers in this very room, totally unaware of the menace which had arrived to upend her life. How had things changed so fast?

An Imperial shuttle awaited them with its ramp already unfurled. Vader's grip did not relent as he dragged her up to the cabin. Leia's arm was beginning to feel numb.

"Let me go," she said when they arrived in the cabin. Her voice sounded just short of a whimper. "It hurts."

To her surprise, Vader obliged and released her. The hatch sealed shut behind them with a hiss. Leia felt a spike of anxiety now that they were firmly alone. She inched away from him, cautiously. The back of her legs hit something, and Leia dropped into a bucket seat against the cabin wall. She looked up, trembling. Vader towered over her.

"How is your arm?" he asked.

Leia blinked. Was he joking? She didn't think so. He sounded entirely genuine, although the voice modulator made it hard to tell.

"Fine," she answered. "Sore." Leia rubbed her arm tenderly. "You didn't have to grab me, you know."

"I had no choice," Vader said, monotone. "You were being recalcitrant."

"Recalcitrant?" Leia echoed. "You dragged me out of my room!"

Vader did not respond. He merely stared at her. Unsure how to interpret his gaze – his mask was expressionless, after all – Leia pressed her back flat against the bucket seat, attempting in vain to get as far away from him as possible. She was afraid of this man. She sensed an intrinsic evil about him, an unfettered lack of compunction. He was no man. Nor was even a monster. He was just a machine.

A machine which spoke, oddly, with a hint of compassion.

"I am sorry."

Again, Leia found herself stumped. Again, she considered if this was a joke. A mocking gibe, nothing more. Yet once again, she concluded that it was not. He was sincere.

"We should talk," Vader said.

"About what?" Leia asked. "Why you kidnapped me?"

"I did not kidnap you," Vader said.

Leia rolled her eyes in response.

"You are a feisty one," Vader said. "In time you will learn obedience."

"Obedience? To you, I assume?"

"Yes. To me."

"Why? What do you want from me?"

Vader hesitated. Then he sat down. Leia was relieved. At least he was no longer looming over her.

"I analyzed the sample of your blood," Vader said.

Here we go, Leia thought. He knows who I am.

"I would like you to answer my questions truthfully this time," Vader said.

"What does it matter?" Leia said. "You already know everything, don't you?"

"Hardly," Vader said.

Leia folded her arms and huffed. "Fine," she said. "I'll answer."

"Who raised you?"

That was an odd question. "My parents did," Leia answered, frowning. "My adopted parents, I mean."

"And who were they?"

So he didn't know? If he hadn't figured out she was the run-away Princess of Alderaan, what was all this about, then?

"I'm confused," Leia said.

"What about?"

"This."

Vader stared at her. "I am asking you a straight forward question," he said. "Who raised you?"

Her cover wasn't blown, so it seemed. Maybe she could squeak out of this yet. "My parents were spice merchants," Leia said. "Nobodies."

"You already used that lie," Vader said.

Leia feigned ignorance. "It's not a lie."

"You come from the Core. Only an idiot would not see that. I want to know who took you. Was it the Jedi? Kenobi?"

Leia didn't have to act confused this time. She had no idea what he was talking about. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said.

"No, Kenobi would not raise you himself," Vader said, mumbling. He stood from his bucket seat and began pacing. "He would have taken the child to someone he knew. Someone trustworthy." He gave her a long look. "Alderaan," he said.

Leia couldn't contain her reaction. She flinched, the name like a slap across the face.

"He took you to the Organas, didn't he? They are known Rebel sympathizers. It makes sense." He stopped in his tracks. "You are the princess. The missing heir to the throne."

Leia jumped to her feet. "Please don't take me back there," she pled. "Please don't tell –"

"They stole you from me," Vader growled. "I will destroy them. And Kenobi. I will destroy them for what they did."

Leia froze, his vicious words sending a shiver up her spine. "Don't do that," she said. "Please."

"Why not?"

"My parents never did anything wrong."

"They are not your parents."

"Yes they are. They raised me."

"They abducted you!"

Leia shied away from him. Vader did not miss this reaction. He faltered.

"Leia," he said.

There it was again. Why was he calling her that? And why did he have to say it so… tenderly?

"What do you want from me?" she asked again.

Before Vader could answer, the cabin was rocked by an explosion. She lost her footing and collapsed into the bucket seat. Vader remained standing, seemingly unaffected.

"What was that?" Leia asked.

"With me," Vader said. He marched to the exit hatch and unfurled the ramp with the press of a button. Once it was fully deployed, he took her arm and pulled her out of the cabin.

"Hey!" Leia protested to no avail. They reached the hangar floor and a voice flagged them down.

"Lord Vader, sir!"

Colonel Roth was rushing across the hangar bay to greet them. He was accompanied by two stormtroopers.

"We felt a disturbance," Vader said.

"A thermal detonator, I believe," Roth said. "The blast damaged a couple TIEs."

"Who is responsible?" Vader asked.

"I don't know, my lord," Roth said. "I was thinking it was an accident."

"No," Vader said. "This was no accident."

By way of confirmation, a second explosion erupted in the hangar a dozen feet away. Leia gasped, partly in fear, partly in pain when Vader's grip on her arm tightened. Debris radiated outward, and Vader pulled her into his body, shielding her. It was ultimately unnecessary – none of the debris came close enough to hit them – but Leia was confounded nonetheless. Why was Vader protecting her? Was it merely because, in his mind, she was a prized asset of the Empire?

Vader released her. He reached to his belt and unclipped a hilt of sorts. "Stay with the ship," he told her. "Troopers, stand guard. Do not let her out of your sights." Pressing a button on the hilt, a crimson red blade burst to life. Leia stared at it in awe. What was _that?_ Some sort of laser sword?

"Colonel Roth, with me," Vader ordered. He flicked his wrist and strode off toward the sight of the explosion, the Colonel fast on his heels. Leia stood at the base of the ramp, watching them go. The two stormtroopers assumed positions beside her. They held their carbines to their chests and scanned the hangar.

"You think it's Rebels?" one of them asked.

"On this rock?" the other said. "Doubt it."

With that, two blaster bolts pierced the air and both troopers fell to the ground, dead. Leia jerked with alarm.

"Leia!" a voice cried.

Leia looked around, ears still ringing from the blaster fire. Whose voice was that? She recognized it.

"Take the shuttle!"

Looking up, she saw him perched on the control deck a dozen feet above the hangar floor. It was Biggs. He wore his fighter helmet and held a sniper rifle. The viewport had been smashed to bits, presumably by that very rifle. The detonator blast must have covered the noise.

"Biggs!" Leia called. "What's happening?"

"We're getting you out of here."

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry about us. Go to the location I told you about. We'll join you if we're able. Now go!"

It was wrong. She couldn't leave her friends to die! But what other choice did she have? This was her one opportunity to escape from Vader's clutches.

She should have hesitated for longer than she did. She should have thought about what might happen to Biggs. To Val. To everyone else in the pact.

But she didn't. All she thought about was herself.

The Princess fled. Like she always did.

Δ Δ Δ

Vader stood amidst the carnage of the first blast site, lightsaber in hand.

Rebels, he thought. That was why he came to Palaam in the first place. He had forgotten all about them until they kindly decided to remind him. What was their goal? To assassinate him? If so, they were doing a terrible job. Neither of the blasts had come even close.

No, this must be something else. Could it have to do with the girl, somehow? She couldn't be involved in this. But then again, could she? The Organas were Rebel sympathizers. Could they have indoctrinated her in their idealistic brand of extremism? That didn't make sense. She had run away from them, hadn't she? They had no influence over her anymore.

His daughter was not a Rebel.

_His daughter._

Vader still couldn't quite believe it. Not logically, at least. When he looked at her, though, he had no doubt whatsoever. He felt it in his core, their intrinsic bond, subtle yet strong. The girl was his own.

"My lord, I have reports of two separate explosions in an another wing of the base."

Vader turned to Roth. "This is a diversion," he said. "They are attempting to mask their true goal."

The comlink in the colonel's hand buzzed. "Yes?" he said.

" _Is Lord Vader with you?"_ a tinny voice asked.

"He is," Roth confirmed. "Do you have a report?"

" _It's his shuttle,"_ the voice said. _"It's been stolen."_

"Stolen?" Vader echoed.

" _It's leaving the hangar bay now."  
_

"The girl," Vader said. "The Rebels are abducting her."

"Rebels?" Roth asked. "What Rebels?"

Vader did not answer. He was running back to the shuttle. How foolish of him to leave her! She never should have left his side. He activated the comlink on his chest panel and spoke.

"Admiral Wilkins, this is Vader."

An unfamiliar voice replied. _"Commodore Brannigan reporting."_

"Who is this?" Vader asked.

 _"Acting Commander of the_ Prerogative, _my lord. Admiral Wilkins is dead."_

"Dead?"

" _Uh… yes, sir. You killed him, remember?"_

That's right. He forgot he had done that. It seemed a lot had slipped his mind when he discovered the girl.

"My shuttle is attempting to leave the system," Vader said. "I want you to prevent it from escaping."

" _Your shuttle, my lord?"_

"I am not aboard. But do _not_ open fire on it. I repeat: do not open fire. If I learn so much as a single turbolaser was fired, you will end up like Admiral Wilkins. Do I make myself clear, Commodore?"

" _Yes, my lord,"_ Brannigan said.

"The cargo aboard that ship is vital to the Empire," Vader said. "It cannot be damaged."

Vader deactivated the comlink. He arrived at the spot where his shuttle was once parked. The two stormtroopers he had left to protect the girl were strewn on the ground, a blaster mark on their breastplates. Vader kicked one of the bodies. Useless.

"My lord!"

Roth came running after him.

"Fighters have been deployed from the aft hanger bay."

"In pursuit of the stolen shuttle?" Vader asked.

"No, my lord. They weren't authorized to depart."

"What?"

"I believe they are attempting to assist Cadet Appenza's escape."

"Escape? She is not escaping. She has been abducted!"

Roth nodded hastily. "Yes, my lord. Forgive me, my lord."

"Deploy any fighters you have available," Vader ordered. "I want those Rebels shot out of the sky."

"But my lord –"

"Do not defy me, Colonel."

Vader understood Roth's hesitation. Those Rebel mutineers were his students. He did not want to see them killed.

"They are your enemies now," Vader said. "Mercy will be considered tantamount to treason. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord," Roth said faintly.

"Good." Vader turned away from Roth and activated his comlink. "Come in, Commodore."

" _We have a visual on the shuttle, my lord. Permission to neutralize with Ion cannon when it comes into range?"_

"Permission granted. You are about to encounter some enemy resistance."

" _What enemy, my lord?"  
_

"Rebels. Defected students from the academy. They are flying stolen TIEs."

" _Understood, my lord. Deploying fighter wings now."_

"Take me to the observation deck," Vader said to Roth.

"Yes, my lord."

The observation deck granted them an unimpaired view of the unfolding developments. Vader saw the shuttle, a mere speck in the sky. It would not be able to make the jumpt to hyperspace until it escaped Palaam's gravity. It would be there soon. A few arcminutes away in the sky was the _Prerogative,_ the Star Destroyer he had commandeered for this journey. A deluge of two dozen fighters coursed from the _Prerogative's_ hangars to intercept the shuttle. Six identically designed TIEs surged to meet them. It was a futile endeavor. These Rebels would be destroyed. But surely they knew that. All they wanted was to delay long enough for the shuttle to escape.

"Your students are willing to die, Colonel Roth," Vader said. "They were indoctrinated under your watch."

"I don't understand, my lord," Roth said. "My students couldn't possibly –"

Vader held up a hand. "You are responsible, Colonel. For that, you will pay." He closed his fist.

"My… my lord," Roth said, his voice strangled.

"The Rebels want to take my daughter from me," Vader growled. "You are to blame, Colonel Roth."

Just as he said it, the shuttle disappeared, two blue streaks all that remained in the sky. The _Prerogative_ had been unable to make a clean shot with the Rebel fighters in the way. Even as they were shot down by the enemy fighters, the Rebels were victorious.

"You are to blame," he said again. Tightening his fist, he heard the colonel's neck snap. He fell to the ground with a thud.

" _My lord?"_ the commodore said over the com. _"My lord, the shuttle has escaped."_

"I see that, Commodore."

" _We were unable to –"_

Vader clenched his other fist. The man was silenced. "You failed me, Commodore. You failed me."

He listened as the commodore suffocated. When he was dead, Vader deactivated the comlink. Trembling, he drew his lightsaber.

"Failure," he said to no one in particular, "will not be tolerated."

With that, he snapped. Screaming, he slashed the red blade at Roth's corpse. Hack after hack, roar after roar. Unmitigated fury, unparalleled darkness; the Force itself trembled before his wrath.

She was out of his reach now.

But he would find her. Nothing would stand in his way.

His daughter belonged to him.


	4. Long Walk Home

Leia was catatonic.

She stared at the blue and white swirl out the viewport, this rushing rivulet of hyperspace. She wanted to cry. She was unable.

" _We'll cover for you!"_ Biggs had said over the com. _"You'll be safe at the coordinates I gave you! Make the jump!"_

" _Don't worry about us. We'll be okay,"_ said Val. _"Look out for yourself."  
_

Look out for yourself.

That's all she was good at.

She had left Alderaan to make a difference. What had she accomplished since? She had no idea if her friends were dead, if they had been taken prisoner. She knew they couldn't possibly have escaped. Those TIEs they flew hadn't been equipped with hyperdrives. They had sacrificed themselves – either their lives or their freedom – for her. Why?

Was it because they were loyal to her? It went beyond that. It had to. That was not loyalty, but fervor. They must truly believe that her life was worth more than theirs.

But it wasn't. She wasn't special. She was worthless. She fashioned herself a leader, then she proved herself a failure. A true leader didn't abscond into the night. A true leader protected her followers. She fought to the end!

What would that accomplish? Vader would have killed her had she chosen to fight.

Or would he have? His behavior mystified Leia. The way he treated her, it was as if she were his most prized possession, a crowning jewel. He was possessive, obsessive. It scared her. It also fascinated her. Why her? Sure, she was a good pilot, a great one even, but surely there were other exceptional pilots in the galaxy. What was so special about her in particular?

_They stole you from me._

That's what he had said. What did he mean? It implied he belonged to her before. But how could that be? She had no memory of Vader. As far as she knew, today was the first time they had met. And yet…

She couldn't think straight. Not now. Vader was not important. She thought instead of Biggs, who had been her friend, her ally. She thought of Val. Oh Val. I never got to tell you. But what was there to tell? That I am in love with you? Am I? Val was her friend, but more often than not, her feelings for her bent toward romantic rather than platonic; and, although she was sheepish to admit it, her thoughts were more than just romantic, but sexual. Before she met Val, Leia had no idea she could ever think about other girls in that way. It scared her as much as it exhilarated her.

But that was not love. It was infatuation. Nothing more.

Tell yourself that, you wicked girl. Val very well may be dead because of you. She may have given her life so that you might escape. And now you try to push her away? To erase her? Oh, she was just a friend, that's all. I didn't care about her. Not really.

It was her coping mechanism. Such was the way of the survivor, the vagabond. She hated herself for it. But she had chosen this life for herself. Are you going to turn back now? Because you can. There's still time. Go back to Alderaan. Plead for your parents' forgiveness. I'm so sorry, Mother, Father. I never should have left.

The thought appealed to her. But it would be cowardly. Her friends hadn't sacrificed themselves so that Leia could return to Alderaan as a princess. They had done it because they all believed in a cause. Freedom from tyranny, from fear. Leia believed in that cause too. Or at least she claimed to.

Leia's heart jumped when she made a sudden realization. This ship was Vader's personal shuttle. It would have a tracking beacon. Wherever she went, the Empire would be able to find her. Biggs said she would be safe at the coordinates he provided – there were people, so he claimed, who could protect her – but they wouldn't be able to protect her if she led the Empire straight to them!

What should she do? There was no way she could find the tracking beacon. They were designed to be unfindable. It would take hours to scour through the whole ship. She didn't have hours. She had minutes, at most. As she thought it, a button on the control panel began flashing. Leia felt a spike of panic. She made herself calm down, take a breath. Think about it clearly. Obviously, she wouldn't be able to land at the exact coordinates. Ideally she would land on a different hemisphere entirely. But that wasn't possible. She had no other means of transportation. No, she would have to land within walking distance. How far could she cut it? Ten miles? Twenty? Hopefully whichever planet Biggs had sent her to was hospitable.

As fate would have it, the planet in question was not hospitable. Not in the slightest. The ship exited hyperspace and Leia groaned when she saw the sandy rock in her viewport. Great. A desert planet. Leia peeled off her flight jacket. Besides being too bulky for the heat, it would make her immediately recognizable. She searched the shuttle's various compartments for some supplies which might prove useful. It was slim pickings. There was a canister, but no water. Great. Might as well bring it in case she found a water source, but she was doubtful. There was an assortment of blasters in a weapons locker. That would come in handy in case she was caught, but it wouldn't do much to keep her alive in the meantime. Either way, she felt marginally better with the DL-22 pistol tucked into her waistband.

A klaxon alerted her it was time to return to the cockpit. She assumed manual control over the shuttle as she piloted it into the desert planet's atmosphere. She glanced at the navcom, plotting out her landing spot. The planet had a rough geography, very hilly. Mountains to the north would need to be avoided. She chose a location southwest of the coordinates Biggs provided. That seemed to be the most even terrain.

The landing went smoothly. No TIEs came to shoot her out of the sky. She would have to move quickly, though. The Imperials would no doubt be right on her tail. Pulling up her sleeves, strapping the empty canister to a carabiner on her belt, Leia headed to the hatch. She pressed the button, opening it. Standing at the top of the ramp, she squinted at the desert. Not one, but two suns dominated the bright blue sky. Sandy dunes stretched for miles, the air simmering in the heat. Leia took a breath, steeled herself, and began to walk.

She took the datapad from the shuttle. It had the results of her blood test which, while interesting, were unimportant to her now. What she needed from it was the compass function. She needed to head southwest for nearly fifteen miles. How long would that take her? Six hours? Eight? Would she even make it without water?

You have to make it, Leia told herself. Val, Biggs, and all the others couldn't have sacrificed themselves for nothing. You have to succeed. But Leia didn't even know what that entailed.

She could think about that later once she was safe. For now, she had to focus on survival. She walked steadily, not too fast that she got tired, but not too slow either. She had to put as much distance between herself and the shuttle as possible. But Leia realized a problem. Her footprints were obvious in the sand. When the Imperials found the shuttle, they'd know exactly where she went. Great thinking, Leia. You should have gone to the mountains. It would have been more difficult, but at least it wouldn't be as easy to track you.

She had to live with her decision. No point in dwelling on bad choices. If Leia did that, she'd never be able to get out of bed in the morning. Every choice she ever made, small or large, came with an ounce, or a gallon, of regret.

Speaking of ounces and gallons, she was thirsty. She'd known this would happen. She had prepared herself mentally for the thirst. But experiencing it was something different. Her skin was drenched with sweat. She could taste the salt on her lips. How much longer? Leia looked at the coordinates on her datapad. Not close. Not close at all. She'd only been walking for a couple hours.

The suns began to set. It didn't get any cooler. The sky was carmine red, the desert blazing gold. It was beautiful. What a nice place, Leia thought, for her to die. She couldn't muster the mental strength to reprove such thoughts. She was resigned. This is fitting, isn't it? Wandering, alone, in the desert. No clear aim, no purpose. I am a fool. I thought I could make a difference, and this is where I ended up.

Foolish girl. Leia Organa, the run-away princess of Alderaan, found dead in the desert of a backwater world, her only possessions an empty canister and an unfired blaster, a stolen datapad as well. That was what she would amount to.

Leia stopped. She could not go any longer. She was so tired. She was so thirsty. She unclipped the canister from her belt. It fell to the sand. She flung the datapad like a frisbee. To her knees, she sank. Her shoulders shook, fingers trembled. She reached around her back and pulled out the blaster.

A sound in the distance. Speeder approaching. They had caught up to her, finally. Give up. Turn yourself in. Or better yet… the blaster.

No. She was a coward. She stood, tossed the blaster aside. Turned around.

"Cadet!" a stormtrooper yelled, jumping out of a troop transport. "Hands on your head! Do it!"

Leia did.

"Walk to me. Slowly."

Leia did.

Stormtroopers filed out of the transport. There were a dozen of them, maybe more. Was she really that important? Had they deployed the whole garrison to find her?

Leia stumbled in the sand. She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. Had one of the stormtroopers stunned her? No, they hadn't fired. The commander barked at her.

"Hey! Keep it moving!"

Leia looked up. Her heart was pounding. She sensed something. It was indescribable. Exciting, awe-inspiring. It took her breath away.

"Commander! Speeder approaching."

The stormtroopers looked beyond her. Leia wanted to turn around, but the commander kept his carbine trained on her. She stood frozen. Behind her, she heard the thrum of an engine approach. It got closer. And closer.

"Stop right there!" a stormtrooper shouted.

A shadow passed overhead. Leia flinched, a cloaked man soared through the air, robes rippling. He landed in front of her, gracefully, and drew a weapon. It looked like the laser sword she'd seen Vader wield, except this blade was green, not red.

"Blast him!"

The hooded man deflected their bolts with exceptional ease. His sword acted as an extension of his arm, a fluid dance of destruction, the stormtroopers felled with precise strikes. It was all over in a matter of seconds. Amid the carnage, the man deactivated his blade. He stood there, motionless, his back to her. Leia stared at him.

"Thank you," she said. Her voice cracked. "Who are you?"

He turned around. Removed his hood. A sandy haired young man emerged, tan-skinned with a strong, square chin. He was handsome. Familiar.

"I am Luke Skywalker," he said, smiling. "You're safe now."

Δ Δ Δ

Vader stood on the bridge of the _Prerogative,_ staring, sightlessly, at the expanse of space. An underling cleared his throat.

"Lord Vader, sir."

He sounded terrified. As he should.

"Yes?" Vader said. "Do you have news on the girl?"

"Yes, my lord."

Good. Otherwise Vader would have had to punish him. He had expressly ordered not to be disturbed unless it pertained to the girl. Two hours prior, he had received news that the shuttle had been tracked to Tatooine. The girl was not on the shuttle, but it was only a matter of time before she was found. There was only so far she could have gotten on foot. She would be back in his possession soon.

"The garrison on Tatooine," Vader said. "Did they apprehend her?"

The officer gulped. "No, my lord."

Vader clenched a fist. "Why not?"

"They found her, my lord. She was in their custody, but an unidentified assailant intervened. He killed the whole platoon."

"One man?"

"Yes, my lord. We have helmet cam footage of the incident."

"And?"

"We have not identified him, my lord, but one thing is clear."

Vader was silent.

"He was a Jedi."

Vader unclenched his fist, the breathing apparatus amped. A terrific excitement suffused his metal limbs; electric current sparked in the wires, in the gears, like blood rushing through veins, were he still a full-fleshed man. Yes, _yes!_ Kenobi. He had finally found him. Hiding away on Tatooine all these years, had he been? Clever. He knew Vader would never return there, not willingly.

But now he would. To find his daughter. To exact revenge.

"Bring me to Tatooine," Vader said. "I will deal with this myself."

Darth Vader was returning home.


	5. Reunion and Remorse

"Are you okay?"

The young man, her savior, walked toward her. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't look so good."

Leia gawped at him. Something about him was so incredibly fascinating, so inexplicably familiar.

"I need… water," she rasped.

The young man, Luke, nodded. "Come with me," he said. "Can you walk?"

Leia attempted a step. She wobbled.

"Here," Luke said. "Lean on me."

She did. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. A little ways away was a speeder, rusted and red. They arrived, and Luke helped her into the passenger seat.

"Hold on," he said. "I'll get you some water."

She sunk into the vinyl padding and closed her eyes. True to his word, Luke returned a moment later.

"Here," he said, offering her a canteen. Leia snatched it from his hands, unscrewed the top, and drank greedily. Luke walked around the hood and got into the driver's seat. He started the engine.

"Wait," Leia said. "Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe."

"I have coordinates."

"So do I."

"You don't understand." Having drunk her fill, Leia screwed the top back onto the canteen and placed it on her lap. "I was sent here by someone."

"Biggs Darkligher."

Leia was stunned. "You know Biggs?"

"He's my best friend," Luke said. "Or at least he used to be."

"So you knew I was coming?"

"No," Luke said. "But Biggs told me about you when he came back six months ago."

"He did?" Leia said. "What did he say?"

Luke flashed her a look. "He told me all sorts of things."

"Such as?"

Luke chuckled. He pressed his foot to the accelerator. Leia's inertia carried her back, and she was glad for her foresight to seal the canteen, otherwise the water would have spilled everywhere.

"Do you think this will impress me?" Leia yelled over the wind. Luke gripped the wheel and grinned, his blonde hair whipping behind him. "I'm a pilot, you know! This is nothing."

"Speed doesn't mean much in space," Luke replied. His smile broadened. "Your little fighters are quick, this is _fast._ "

Somehow, the speeder reached another gear. Its engine groaned under the strain.

"You're a maniac!" Leia cried.

"Takes one to know one!"

Leia wasn't actually afraid. She trusted Luke. The engine, less so. It held up, though. A few minutes later, the speeder began to slow. The wind died down and Leia was able to hear herself think again.

"Just for the record," Leia said. "I'm _not_ impressed."

"Oh yeah?" Luke said. "Not even by the part where I saved your life?"

"They weren't going to kill me," Leia said.

"Whatever," Luke said. "Technicalities."

Leia shook her head, hiding a smile. "All right," she said. "Thank you for rescuing me. Is that what you want to hear?"

"What do you think about my speeder? It's nice, isn't it?"

"Ugh," Leia said. "You're insufferable."

No wonder he and Biggs were friends. They had that same boyish buoyancy.

"So what did Biggs tell you?" Leia asked. "Do you know about the pact?"

"What's that?"

Ok, so clearly not.

"He told you about me, though."

"He sure did," Luke said. "He told me you were a great pilot."

"And?"

"That's it."

"Really? Nothing else?"

Leia could tell that there was. She saw it in Luke's face.

"Tell me," she said.

"He thought you were hiding something."

"Like what?"

"He doesn't believe you are who you say you are."

"Oh," Leia said. "I see."

"So who are you?" Luke asked.

"None of your business."

"Actually, it kind of is," Luke said.

"And why is that?"

"I promised to protect you."

"So?"

"I'd like to know who I'm protecting."

"You know what you need to know," Leia said.

Luke was silent for a moment. Then he said, "We can't stay on Tatooine. It's too dangerous."

"Is this Tatooine?" Leia asked.

"Sure is," Luke said. "If there's a bright center of the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."

"Why can't we stay here?"

"You're wanted by the Empire," Luke said. "Nowhere is safe for you now, but especially not here."

"So where are you going to take me?" Leia asked.

"I don't know," Luke said. "That's for Ben to decide?"

"Who's Ben?"

Ben turned out to be a tired old man in a dusty brown robe. He emerged from a sandstone hut to greet them when Luke parked out front. Leia stepped out of the speeder, and Ben looked at her for a long moment, his wise eyes searching.

"Princess Leia of Alderaan," he said. "Welcome."

Leia stopped in her tracks. "What did you call me?"

Ben looked at Luke. "Stormtroopers?"

"A dozen. I dealt with them."

"I see," Ben said. "Then it's time to go. I'm afraid there's no time for you to say goodbye to your aunt and uncle."

"That's okay," Luke said. "I don't need to."

"Hold on a second," Leia said. She pointed at Ben. "How do you know about me?"

"Your father was a good friend of mine," Ben said.

"Bail Organa?"

A twinkle in his eyes. "Him too."

"Who are you?" Leia asked.

"I am Ben," Ben said.

"Care to tell me more?"

"Not particularly," Ben said dryly. "Not now, at least. We must be going."

"Not a chance," Leia said. "I'm not going with you unless I know I can trust you."

"You can't know that," Ben said. "Trust takes years, decades to form. We don't have that sort of time."

"Give me a reason to go with you."

"If you do not, the Empire will capture you."

"I can look out for myself."

"I don't doubt it. But this is beyond you, young Leia. You have no idea what you're up against."

"And you do?"

Ben nodded. Leia's eyes narrowed. Abruptly, she asked:

"What do you know about Darth Vader?"

Ben's face turned pale.

"Darth Vader?" he said. "Why do you ask?"

"I met him."

"When?"

"Yesterday."

Ben stared at her, unblinking.

"Perhaps we should talk," he said.

"I agree," Leia said.

Ben headed back into the hut. Leia looked at Luke who nodded.

"Don't worry," he said. "Ben can be a bit… opaque. But you can trust him, honest."

Leia would make up her own mind on that matter.

Luke led her into the hut. He ducked under the doorway. She did not. To the left, a humble living room. The floors were dirt, the walls were stone. There was a circular table, a bench wrapping around it. Ben sat on a wicker chair and stroked his chin.

"Take a seat, young ones," he said, gesturing to the bench. Leia realized it wasn't a bench at all, but a rugged protrusion, hewn out of the rock of the sandstone wall.

"We're going to need to find a ship," Luke said.

"We will deal with that in due time," Ben said. "First, we must discuss the details of the princess' escape."

"Don't call me that," Leia said, flinching.

"By your title?"

"It's not my title. Not anymore."

"Would you rather I call you Cadet?"

"Call me Leia."

"Very well." Ben smiled, although Leia couldn't tell for sure if it wasn't a grimace. "Tell me, Leia. How did Vader find you?"

Leia hesitated at the wording. How did he find me? That implied he had been looking for her. Had he been? If so, why?

"He came to the Academy," Leia said. "He was interested in me."

"How so?"

"He knew I was a good pilot, I guess."

"An exceptional one, based on what Luke's friend told us."

"I suppose," Leia said modestly.

Again, Ben attempted that ambiguous smile. "There's more to it, though. Isn't there?"

"Yes," Leia said.

"Tell me."

"The first thing he said to me… it was weird."

"Weird how?"

"He said… The Force is with you."

Ben did not speak. The chin stroking proceeded apace.

"He took a sample of my blood. He said he was testing for… I don't remember. Midi somethings."

"That's… not good," Ben said.

"Why?"

He did not answer, asking, "What happened next?"

"I was planning to run away before he could find out who I was. But there wasn't enough time. He came back and said I had to come with him."

"Did he say why?"

"No. It was…" Leia stopped herself before she could say 'scary.' She was a soldier. Things weren't scary. "It was weird," she said instead. "He figured out who I was. But that didn't seem to interest him. He started talking about someone else entirely."

"Whom?"

"Someone named Obi-Wan."

Luke laughed. Obi-Wan did not.

"What's so funny?" Leia asked.

"You're talking to him," Luke said.

"Talking to who?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Ben said. "That is my name."

"Wait, I thought your name was Ben?"

"And I thought your name was Appenza."

Touché.

"Vader knows you," Leia said. "How?"

"A long conversation," Ben said, "for another time."

Leia frowned.

"Tell me more," Ben said. "I must know everything that happened."

"Why?"

"This is very important. For your safety, for Luke's."

"What does Luke have to do with this?"

"Everything."

She looked at Luke. Luke looked at her. She could tell he was just as in the dark as she was.

"Leia," Ben said. "Speak."

"I told you everything already," Leia said.

"Are you sure?"

Leia was about to say yes, but she stopped. The question which had been nagging her resurfaced.

"Something he said… it struck me as odd."

Ben leaned forward.

"He said Obi-Wan, well, _you,_ and my parents, the Organas… he said they stole me. He said they stole me _from him_." She recalled the virulence in his voice, the unbridled rage. "He spoke as if I belonged to him. As if…"

"As if what?"

Leia did not know.

"I've told you everything," she said. "Now what?"

Ben was silent. He looked to be deep in thought. Leia turned to Luke instead.

"I don't know how we're going to find a ship," he said.

"Is there a city around here?" Leia asked.

"There's Anchorhead, but that's just an outpost. The closest major settlement is Mos Eisley."

"Then we'll go there."

"It'll be dangerous. The whole place is bound to be crawling with stormtroopers."

"They didn't seem to be too much of a problem for you."

Luke accepted the praise with a grin.

"Luke will do well to protect you," Ben said. "But you must be careful. Remember your training, Luke. Violence must be the last resort, especially now. There cannot be any reports of a man wielding a lightsaber in Mos Eisley."

"Wait a minute," Luke said. "You're not coming with us?"

"I cannot," Ben said.

"Why not?" Leia asked.

"Because," Ben said, "I have business to which I must attend."

"Business?" Luke said. "What sort of business?"

Ben gave him a wry look. "Nothing too important, I assure you," he said. "Saving the galaxy, that is all."

"What are you talking about?" Leia asked.

"You will not be able to leave this planet unless I stay behind to distract him."

"Him?"

"Vader."

"What makes you think Vader will come to Tatooine?" Luke asked.

"He is on his way now," Ben said. "I guarantee it."

"For me?" Leia asked.

"Yes," Ben said.

"Why?"

Ben opened his mouth. Then closed it. He stood from his chair.

"I have something for you," he said.

"Answer me," Leia demanded. Ben did not. He walked across the small space toward a wooden crate. He opened it, the latches creaking loudly.

"Luke will show you how to use this," he said.

Leia wanted to yell at him, but now she was curious. She stood from the bench.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Your father's lightsaber."

He produced from the crate a cylindrical tube, of lustrous metal, sturdy yet sleek in design. It looked similar to Luke's laser sword, even more similar to Vader's. As she looked at it closer, Leia realized it wasn't just similar to Vader's, but identical. It was the same design.

"I don't understand," Leia said. "My father? You mean… my birth father?"

Ben handed her the hilt. Leia, with trembling fingers, took it. It molded to her hand, as if it had always belonged there.

"Leia's father was a Jedi too?" Luke asked.

"Yes," Ben said.

"A Jedi?" Leia said. "That's… no. I don't think so."

"Try it," Ben said.

Leia was eager to do so. She pressed the trigger, and a bright blue blade emerged. Like the other two she had seen, or rather, _heard_ , it made a melodious sound, a deep hum. She gyrated her wrist, testing it out. It weighed like nothing at all.

"The lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi Knight," Ben said. Leia was mesmerized by the blade. It was beautiful. "Your father wielded it proudly before his death."

Leia deactivated the blade. Ben's words hit her like a blow to the gut. "He's dead?" she said.

"He is," Ben said.

For some reason, she had not thought about him very much. Her birth parents had never been of much interest to her. But hearing that her father was dead, it made her wish for the first time that she could have met him.

"How did he die?" Leia asked.

Ben seemed to be considering, as if he was searching for the answer. Did he not remember?

"Perhaps we should sit again," he said. They did. Leia clutched the lightsaber in her lap. "Your father. Luke's father. They were both pupils of mine."

"Our father's knew each other?" Luke asked. "Were they friends?"

The question made Ben uncomfortable. He held his knees and looked away, unable to meet Luke and Leia's inquisitive gazes. "I suppose you could say that," he said.

What sort of a cop out answer was that? Leia didn't understand why he was being so shifty about this.

"What happened to them?" Leia asked. "Our fathers?"

"They were killed," Ben said.

"By who?" Luke asked.

Ben looked at Leia. "I believe you already know."

Leia felt herself go cold. "Vader," she said.

"He must not find you," Ben said. "That is why I will stay behind. So you and Luke can escape."

"But what are you going to do?" Luke asked. "He'll kill you!"

"He very well may," Ben said. He didn't sound too concerned about the prospect. "I have trained you well for two years. You have become an exemplary Jedi. I wish we could have more time together, but fate will not have it. We must part ways."

Luke stood. "I'll stay," he said. "Let me fight him."

"No, Luke," Ben said. "You must protect Leia. That is your duty. This is mine."

The old man got to his feet. He extended a hand to Luke, who took it. Ben placed his other hand atop their clasped ones.

"I am proud of you," he said, and his eyes were glistening. Leia considered it appropriate to stand herself. "Do you want to know the last thing I said to your father?"

Luke nodded eagerly.

"I said exactly what I am going to say to you now," Ben said. "You are strong and wise. I have taught you everything I know, and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could hope to be."

Luke started to object, but Ben looked to Leia. "And to yours," he said. "I said simply this: I loved you."

Ben released Luke's hand. He did not wipe his eyes, and a tear slipped down his cheek. "I loved you," he said again. "And I am proud of you."

It was an eerie moment. Because Leia got the sense the man before her, living and breathing for now, was no longer alive. His fate was sealed. Vader had already killed him.

"Thank you," Leia said.

"No," Ben said. "Thank you. Thank you, both. You are the galaxy's greatest hope." He placed a hand on her shoulder, smiled a sad smile. "Go, my students. Be safe. Be strong. The Force will be with you. Always."

Δ Δ Δ

Obi-Wan watched the reunited twins get into the speeder and drive away. He felt a wrenching sensation in his stomach. He had not told them. Should he have?

No. It was too dangerous. They would find out in time, he had no doubt. When it was right, they would learn. And they would hate him for keeping such a secret from them. The girl would be furious. She certainly seemed the irascible sort. The boy would be confused. He would think, maybe Ben hadn't known. He idolized him, in that way. Ben could do no wrong, he thought. But in time he would come around to his sister's point of view. He would hate him for it. In a different way, perhaps. A cold, embittered anger. He would think of his old master in a new, harsher light. One closer to the truth.

But Obi-Wan, knowing all that, still hadn't told them. It was for their own good. What if Vader caught one of them? Their ignorance would protect them. And since Vader already knew about the girl, a calamity in its own right, at least he wouldn't be likely to have much interest in the boy. Unless he had known there were twins. In which case, that would be a disaster. But he hadn't known. Because Padmé herself hadn't known.

He watched now as her children disappeared beyond the horizon. He thought of Padmé, what she had told him on her deathbed. _There is good in him. I know there is… still._

Did she mean that? Did she know something he didn't?

"Bah," he said. No point dwelling on this. He'd had nineteen years to think. No revelations were about to present themselves to him. It was time to go.

He gave his sandy abode one last look over. He had no fond memories of the place, surely. Nonetheless, nostalgia crept up on him. He saw young Luke, just sixteen at the time, seated cross-legged on the floor, certainly a bit bewildered, but not lacking in enthusiasm. Obi-Wan had never meant to train him so soon, or indeed, not at all. But circumstances had forced his hand.

The circumstance in question being the girl's disappearance.

His old friend Bail Organa made contact with him the night after it happened. He had been panicked.

_She's gone! She's just gone! Could Vader have gotten her?_

_No,_ said Obi-Wan. _He does not have her._

_How do you know?_

He hadn't known. He couldn't possibly. But he said it with assurance, for that was what Organa needed to hear. If Vader got his hands on either one of the twins, the galaxy's fate would be sealed. He had decided then and there to train the boy. That way, if the girl did end up in Vader's possession, at least Obi-Wan would have a head start. It was a risk. He knew that by training the boy, he could potentially reveal his location. Yet Vader's aversion to this world worked in his favor. He blotted it out, so Obi-Wan theorized, because of the horrors of his childhood, and as such, he would not detect any disturbances which Luke's training might produce.

The thought crossed his mind that there was another who might sense the boy's training. The Emperor had no such blind spot when it came to Tatooine. Yet the Empire did not come to snuff him out. The training proceeded without incident. Could it be that Tatooine was so remote that the Emperor could not detect his training of the boy? Perhaps. Yet Obi-Wan knew there was a chance. The Emperor may very well know all about Luke Skywalker, and was merely waiting for the opportune time to exploit this information.

Obi-Wan would do what he could to thwart him. Even when he was dead, within the next few hours or so, he could still influence worldly events. Master Qui-Gon had shown him how.

So when he left the hut and clambered atop his trusty dewback, Obi-Wan did so without hesitation. He was confident, excited even. In an odd sort of way. He was ready to die.

Or so he claimed. The human in him, the sliver of which still survived, was apprehensive about this suicidal endeavor. The tension in his muscles, the palpating of his heart, faster and faster, as if realizing that it wouldn't have much longer to beat. Yet he swept these animalistic impulses aside, closed his eyes, trusted in the Force.

At long last, he would be at peace.

His life was one of agony, of regret and remorse. His failures, his foibles. And within the hour, he would confront the object of his misery, the one he hated yet still loved. His eyes glazed over, like so many times before, drifting into the past.

As always, he first saw him as a boy. Small and sandy-haired. Cheerful and childish. Petulant and precocious. He grew before his eyes, soon taller than Obi-Wan himself. A strapping young man, handsome, confident, inflammatory. He grew darker, wearier. The weight of war on his shoulders, the burden of deception. His blue eyes burned gold and he screamed.

_I hate you!_

And Obi-Wan replied.

_I loved you!_

He thought of his children. Of Luke, whom he knew best. So much like his father, in mind and in body. Just as reckless, just as bold. Of Leia, whom he wished he knew better. Defiant, assertive. A brilliant pilot, a natural leader.

Anakin would have been so proud of them. But Vader would only view them as tools. He must never find them. He must never corrupt them. With the Force as my ally, I will do everything I can to stop him.

This heartless machine. This innocent boy.

His dewback ground to a halt. Under the two suns, off in the distance, two shuttles, one about a hundred yards away from the other. Obi-Wan held a hand to his eyes. There he saw him, an inky silhouette, his presence bathing the sandy vale like an inescapable umbra. He was still. Although Obi-Wan couldn't so much as see it, he sensed Vader was staring at him in the same manner Obi-Wan stared now. Unblinking. Frozen. Adrenaline pumping in his veins.

Obi-Wan slid off the dewback and began to approach.

His oldest friend; this heartless machine.

His greatest enemy; this innocent boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always love writing from the perspective of old Obi-Wan. He and Vader are similar, in a sense. They both wallow in regret, but the former does not act on his pain, he keeps it bottled in. And they wonder why he aged so much in nineteen years! I hope the upcoming TV show stays true to his character; if done correctly, it could be a poignant culmination of both the Prequels and Clone Wars. Fingers crossed! You can do it, Disney!


	6. Valediction

Vader was terrified.

Beneath him, crumpled in the sand, was a pile of robes. Rested atop it was that very lightsaber with which he was so familiar. The weapon which had robbed him of his limbs.

Its owner was nowhere to be found.

This was not how Vader envisioned their encounter unfolding.

It had begun well enough.

"Kenobi," Vader said. "We meet at last."

The old man was silent. He looked at him with somber sincerity. A gentle breeze caused his robes to sway, Vader's cape to billow.

"Where is she?" Vader asked.

Kenobi feigned ignorance. "She?"

"The girl. My daughter."

"Darth Vader has no daughter," Kenobi said. "He is not a man, but a machine."

Vader drew his weapon. He ignited the blade and brandished it menacingly.

"I will not play games with you," he said. "Tell me where she has gone."

"Away from you," Kenobi said. His lightsaber was grasped in his weathered hand. He made no move to activate it. Vader realized then that he had no intention to defend himself. Why? Did he not fear death?

"You will fail," Vader said. "Soon, you will be dead, and there will be nothing you can do to keep her from me."

Kenobi retorted, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

It was a senseless thing to say. But that was how the Jedi spoke. They did not understand power, raw and tangible. They dealt in the abstract; in semantics, in truisms, in platitudes and aphorisms. Kenobi's threat was nothing but a lofty valediction. It was empty at its core, like the Jedi themselves.

And yet.

Vader didn't understand what happened. He had stepped forward, not as a foe, but as an executioner. Kenobi closed his eyes, the look on his face one of resignation, or rather, of peace. Vader did not stop to contemplate it. He sliced through Kenobi's midsection. The blade encountered no resistance at all. Kenobi's body simply… melted away.

He prodded the robes with his boot. Nothing. He reached down and picked up the lightsaber, considering it for a moment before clipping it to his belt. Had he succeeded? Was Kenobi truly dead? He couldn't be certain. How typical. Once again, his old master had somehow found a way to thwart him. Vader experienced no satisfaction, no catharsis, in obtaining his long-sought revenge. Instead, he felt more frustrated than before. Kenobi was gone, like a flame extinguished in the wind, and the girl was nowhere to be found.

She must be his priority. Kenobi was ancient history. She was the future. Together, he and his daughter would be invincible. As soon as he found her, all would be set right.

 _If_ he found her.

Δ Δ Δ

In contrast to their speeder ride from earlier, Luke was awfully grim this time around. He drove without speaking, eyes dead set on the empty horizon.

"Luke?" Leia ventured. "Are you all right?"

Why was she asking this? What did it matter to her, anyway?

"He's gone," Luke said.

"Ben?"

Luke nodded.

"How do you know?"

He did not explain. Leia did not need him to. She knew it was true.

"I'm sorry," Leia said.

Luke held his silence. A minute passed, and Leia was convinced Luke was not going to speak again, but then he said, "He's the closest I'll ever have to a real father."

Leia didn't know how to react to that. It wasn't the sort of thing one said to a stranger. Or at least, not the sort of thing Leia might say. Even with her closest friends – with Val, with Biggs – she was reticent. Out of necessity. Her past had to be a mystery to them, for their own good. Yet Luke was opening himself to her, mere hours after them having met.

Her lack of response did not seem to deter him, either. He continued. "I never knew either of my parents. My father died in the Clone Wars. My mother… I don't know anything about her. My aunt and uncle raised me since I was an infant. But they never treated me like their son. Not really."

Leia could understand that. She didn't know her birth parents either. And while the Organas treated her as their own, on some level Leia knew it wasn't the same. She didn't know what was missing, per se, but she knew there was something… else. Something she never had.

"When I was sixteen, Ben showed up one day and told my aunt and uncle that it was time. I had no idea what was happening. Nobody explained anything to me. Ben took me to his home and taught me about the Force."

The Force. Everyone seemed to be talking about it. Vader. Luke. Ben.

"What is it?" Leia asked.

"The Force?"

"Yeah."

Luke squinted. "Ben would be able to explain it better than me," he said, and Leia could hear the pain in his voice. A minute passed. She wasn't sure whether Luke was collecting his thoughts, or had merely decided upon silence. But then he spoke. "The Force is an energy field. It pervades everything. All living beings."

"I don't understand," Leia said.

"Neither do I," Luke admitted. "The Force isn't something you understand so much as _feel._ "

"Feel?" Leia echoed.

"Do you ever feel people's emotions? Do you ever sense things before they happen?"

Leia was about to say no when she stopped. She did have that power, didn't she? When she was in the cockpit, she could see her enemies next moves before they happened. She could feel their confidence, or their panic. But Leia had always thought that was mere intuition, nothing more.

"I can help hone your abilities," Luke said. "Like how Ben helped me."

"Thank you," Leia said.

They drove on.

Leia looked to her right at the empty desert. The speeder moved so fast, the sandy sea was reduced to a yellow blur, the distant plateaus mere blotches on the horizon. She thought about Luke's explanation about the Force.

It made no sense.

And yet it made all the sense in the world. Closing her eyes now, she thought she could understand. Because she felt… something. What was it? Sorrow. Bitterness. Anger.

Did that come from herself?

No.

It was Luke. This young man whom she barely knew. She felt his emotions so tangibly, it was as if they were her own. How?

The speeder began to slow. Grimy buildings dotted their surroundings as they reached the outskirts of a town.

"This is Anchorhead," Luke said. "We'll make a quick pit stop here."

"Why?" Leia asked. "Shouldn't we go straight to Mos Eisely?"

"Open up the glove compartment, would you?" Luke requested.

Leia did.

"I want to pawn off whatever we've got," Luke said. "It won't be much, but we're going to need every credit we can find to get a ride out of here."

Leia found a dusty pair of macrobinoculars, along with a glowrod and a sun-powered compass.

"Quite the haul," she said.

Luke ignored her sarcasm.

A minute later, they were pulling up to a blocky building made of sandstone. A sign above an open door frame, faded Aurebesh script chiseled into the rock, read TOSCHE STATION. It was about as decrepit a structure as Leia had ever seen.

"Stay here," Luke said. "I'll be right back." He scooped up the cluster of items and hopped out of the speeder. He climbed the stairs and disappeared into the building.

Leia bounced her leg anxiously as she waited. She should have insisted more forcefully that they not stop and continue driving. She didn't know why, but she had the sense something bad was going to happen.

But the minutes ticked on, and nothing happened. Leia allowed a small sigh of relief. She was being paranoid, that's all. It wasn't hard to understand why. The past few days had been terribly stressful. The past few years, more like.

Her thoughts shifted from the past to the future. Say they did manage to secure a flight out of here, where would they go? There was one option that came to mind. The little girl in her thought of it at once. She would be safe there. She wouldn't have to run anymore.

Coward.

But what was the alternative? She had no idea what she was doing, and it wasn't as if Luke knew any better. They were just two kids, the both of them. They were in over their heads. She needed to swallow her pride and do the sensible thing.

Go home.

If she could even call it that. Leia didn't know what Alderaan was to her now. Maybe it was nothing more than a refuge. Her parents wouldn't see it that way. They would demand that she stay and become their daughter again; they would make her become their heir. But it was too late for that. Bail was no longer her father, Breha no longer her mother.

Leia reached into the rucksack between her feet. She sifted through its contents before finding the cylindrical hilt of the lightsaber. This had belonged to her father. Her _real father_. What was his name? Leia hadn't even had the chance to ask Ben that simple question.

Luke emerged from the dusty building. Tucked under his arm was a brown sack.

"It's not much," he said, settling into the driver's seat. He offered Leia the sack. "Five hundred credits."

"That's not nearly enough," Leia said. She untied the sack and peered inside. "A flight out of here is going to cost us tens of thousands of credits. Five hundred isn't even a drop in the bucket."

"I'm trying here, okay?" Luke snapped.

"Clearly not hard enough!" Leia retorted.

While they argued, neither noticed an approaching vehicle until it pulled up right behind them. The pair looked in the window and collectively blanched. It was an Imperial troop transport, heavily armored and bristling with armaments.

"Luke," Leia said. "What do we do?"

"Just stay calm," Luke said. "Hide the credits."

Leia stuffed the sack into the glovebox.

Through the mirror, she saw two stormtroopers alight from the vehicle. They held carbines to their armored chests as they approached.

"Do they recognize us?" Leia asked.

"I don't think so," Luke said, his lips scarcely moving. "Otherwise there'd be more of them."

He made a good point. But either way, they were bound to recognize her at the very least. Could she cover her face somehow? With what?

The stormtroopers reached their speeder, one on each flank.

"Sir, we're going to need you to leave the area," the one on the driver's side said to Luke. "We're conducting a search."

"Yes, of course," Luke said, refusing to make eye contact. He reached to start the engine.

The stormtrooper on Leia's side of the vehicle stared at her. Leia kept her head bowed.

"Wait just a minute," he said.

Leia's heart jumped in her throat. Had he recognized her?

"What is it, Keller?"

"This one matches the profile."

The other stormtrooper walked around the hood to get a better look. In her peripheral vision, Leia saw Luke's fingers itching to his belt. Her hand darted out, grabbing his wrist to stop him.

"No," she mouthed.

"Ma'am, step out of the vehicle," the stormtrooper said.

Leia looked up. She didn't know what compelled her to say it, but with the utmost confidence, she told the stormtrooper, "I am not the person you are looking for."

She could not read his reaction on account of the mask. He was silent. Incredulous, perhaps. He was about to arrest her. But then…

"You are not the person I am looking for."

It took all of her willpower not to say "Really?" How had that worked? Were stormtroopers really that dimwitted?

"You will return to your vehicle and drive away," Leia continued, with that same confidence. "Both of you," she added, with a glance for the other one.

"We will return to our vehicle and drive away," they said in unison.

For good measure, Leia concluded by saying, "Good day."

"Good day," they echoed, dazedly.

The stormtroopers walked away.

Luke and Leia stared at the window as they watched the troop transport rev up and drive away.

"That was incredible," Luke gasped when they were gone. "How did you do that?"

Leia shook her head. "I have no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the short chapter, and for the long delay. What can I say? Life is busy. This sort of chapter is always the most difficult to write, when there isn't much happening. It's all logistics at this stage. Next chapter should be more interesting, hopefully!


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